Andhra govt sacks TDP leader as Temple Trust chairman after vandalization of Lord Ram idol

In a new twist amid the uproar over the vandalization of the Lord Ram idol, the Andhra Pradesh government has squarely placed the blame on a senior TDP leader. While this incident took place at the Sri Rama Swamy Devasthanam in Vizianagaram district on the night of December 28, several portions of the 400-year-old idol were recovered from a nearby pond. The Vizianagaram Police have formed 5 teams as a part of the probe.

According to a government memo dated January 2, former Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has been sacked as the Chairman of the Trust board for not only the shrine where the vandalization took place but also the Sri Pyditalli Ammavari Devasthanam and the Sri Mandeswara Swamy Temple. This action has been taken in accordance with Section 28 of the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act. Alleging that he failed to discharge his "legitimate duties", Raju has been accused of neglecting the security aspects of the temple in connection with the vandalization of Lord Ram's idol. 

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YSRCP government comes under fire

Post this incident at the Sri Rama Swamy Devasthanam, the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government has been at the receiving end of criticism. While Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan has demanded a CBI probe, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the CM was watching the attacks on temples like a "silent spectator". Claiming that more than 120 attacks have taken place on temples after the YSRCP government came to power, he demanded strict action against the culprits. 

Former Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu remarked, "In the last 19 months, over 120 attacks took place on temples. These attacks were going on according to a premeditated plan. Over 23 idols were demolished in six temples at Pithapuram. Durgamma temple was brought down in Guntur."

On the other hand, BJP's state in-charge Sunil Deodhar compared the current spate of attacks on temples to the destruction of Goa temples in the 16th century. Terming the vandalization of Lord Ram's idol as "horrific", he claimed that the AP government was tacitly supporting a "particular religion". Moreover, he lambasted the police's failure to catch the culprits. 

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